Glassy Screens - Did you get used to it, or does it drive you mad? PLEASE VOTE!!!

I had a 17" matte MBP before my current uMBP 17" w/ glossy screen and LOVE the new screen. If you focus on the reflections, then you will have a hell of a time, but just focus your eyes on what's actually on the screen and it's not a problem at all

nicoritschel said:

I had a 17" matte MBP before my current uMBP 17" w/ glossy screen and LOVE the new screen. If you focus on the reflections, then you will have a hell of a time, but just focus your eyes on what's actually on the screen and it's not a problem at all

Click to expand...

Yes, the "mind over matter" technique works well with these

Absolutely fine for me. Not had a problem with the glossy screen.

The problem is much smaller than it appears. I bet less than 1% actually care, but that 1% is really loud when it comes to complaining about it.

I've had mine less than a week (switched from a 12" matte powerbook) and I can tell you that I am used to it already and quite like it in fact

I have a 24" Cinema Display, 17" MBP Anti-glare, and 13" MBP Glossy. I don't mind the Glossy displays at all, but I feel if I had a 17" Glossy it would bug me. The larger the screen the more reflections. The 17" anti-glare display is just as beautiful as the glossys.

Honestly, I think people make it a bigger deal than it is. Sure, some prefer matte, but I bet you the majority of the complainers haven't had time with a glossy display.

Just buy it. You have a 14 day return window.

This is probably the most controversial topic amongst Mac owners
these days and I promise that you will find no agreement between most.

I am one of those people who LOVE, ADORE, EMBRACE the glossy
glass screens.

Back in my Windows PC days I had a glossy then matte screen.
I hated the matte screen because everything looked muted. I could
not wait to go back to glossy, and upon the purchase of my first
Macbook Pro in 2007, I was elated to finally have a screen that
showed all the vibrancy of colors. Pictures looked more vivid as
did the DVDs I played.

Reflection? The Macbook Pros have antiglare on their screens.
Do they totally block out all the glare? No. However, as I sit here
at work with heavy florescent lighting above me and a wall of windows
behind me, I get just enough reflection that I am not even bothered by it.

Professional photographers hate glossy screens. They say that
the color it gives off is inaccurate. I am not going to even argue
the point with a professional that knows what he or she is talking
about.

I just rely on my own personal experience. Glossy screens give
you the best WOW factor out there. My friends are amazed at how
beautiful the images on my desktop are, and those who I convinced
to buy a Mac love their glossy screens.

Looking at the poll results in this thread I can see that my opinion is
in the majority thus far.

NathanCH said:

The problem is much smaller than it appears. I bet less than 1% actually care, but that 1% is really loud when it comes to complaining about it.

Click to expand...

As opposed to before when 0% cared it wasnt glossy. They fixed something that wasnt broke.

Once you go MATTE, you'll never go back; unless they stop making matte, then your screwed like the rest of us....

I am one of the people that do not like the glossy screens. When the 17" unibody was introduced in January I decided to wait until the next product update of the 15" unibody. I hoped that Apple would come to its senses and offer an anti-glare option on the 15" as well.

Unfortunately, the update on June 8th did not include an anti-glare display option for the 15" MBP. But my luck: the update included an enormously upgraded 13" Macbook Pro. So I bought this new 13" MBP and reserved some cash for an external, matte, display.

Now that I own this 13" MBP for a week, I must say that in daily use the glossy screen bothers me less than I thought it would. When I am looking at the text on the screen, the reflections of myself and the room behind me are out of focus. And luckily, the reflections are not visible in the lighter screen areas. But in darker areas, the reflections stay distracting, and regularly catch me by surprise when I am not clearly focussing.

So I am certainly more than happy with my glossy display 13" MBP. Still, if Apple would offer the anti-glare option on the 13" MBP, even for an additional price, I would opt for it instantly.

I don't really mind the glossy screen, having the MBP for about 7-8 months now. The reflections don't bother me that much, only when I can't get the screen at the right angle to make it go away. I went from a matte to glossy screen, bee tee dubs. I don't get headaches at all, either.

Where's the option "I specifically purchased a glossy screen so I have no complaints"? Every option seems to talk about glossy screens as something one needs to get "used to". Ever think that maybe some people outside the advertising/photography/publishing demographic (which is becoming a smaller and smaller slice of Apple's pie) would appreciate the glossy screens for better looking games and watching movies?

I'm one of the vocal one's who hate glossy screens. In the perfect lighting (well no lighting) they are better than matte. However every where I want to take and use a laptop they are troublesome. I have an original MB 13" that I rarely use anymore as a portable because of it. I have it hooked to a 24" non-glossy LCD.

It isn't just about blocking out the reflections so you can see better. It is about having to physically contort yourself to do so. I also find that after about 5 minutes of using a "glossy" screen I get bad headaches. I guess that is the reaction of my brain from trying to block out and adjust for the dang reflections!

I was in the Apple store today, which of course has very bright overhead lights, and could not deal with the reflections just evaluating the new 13" MBP. On the one table they had a 13" MBP, a 15" MBP and a 17" MBP. The 17" had the "matte" option, which also gets rid of the glossy/glass black bezel. It was soooo much easier to read and use than the 13" or 15". But unfortunately I don't want a laptop that big... and I can't see getting a smaller one that I won't want to take anywhere anyway!

I had all the intention of purchasing one today, but walked out empty handed.

I just bought the AG 17'' MBP and it was a really tough decision.

What pushed me to the AG was that it drastically cut down on glare (although not 100%) and I felt like I could read and comprehend material quicker on the AG model.

I will be using the laptop for school, and I will need to take my finals on the laptop. Hence, I felt that it was worth the sacrifice (sharper images/better colors) to get the AG so that I could read quicker and comprehend better.

The other thing I considered is that with a laptop, you will be in situations where you cannot control the external lighting. You will inevitably suffer from glare in some situations, and so I thought the AG model was good for a laptop.

I will be hooking up the MBP to an external (24'') glossy display at home, where I can control the lighting and position it away from any windows. This way, I can use the extra screen space, the more vibrant glossy screen, when I need it for pictures/movies--and use the AG properties for school.

Glossy screens look better than matte screens, for me at least. Even better when you don't have reflections in the background.

fehhkk said:

Glossy screens look better than matte screens, for me at least. Even better when you don't have reflections in the background.

Click to expand...

There is no question about that. I don't think anyone will argue that the matte screen gives you a better picture vs. glossy when there are no reflections/glare.

The problem is that there is significantly more.

It is gorgeous at night, with no lighting behind you though. I really do love it.

@ thesmoth Go to your local Apple Store or Reseller and see for yourself! Seriously, I have no problem at all with the Glossy screen - its amazing. It may be more of a problem if I was sitting under a sparse leafed tree on a very sunny day - but would you see yourself in that scenario anyway?

I researched a lot before buying a laptop, I mean A LOT; for months and through every price range and every model I could get my hands on. I wanted to see for myself what was the best out there and almost every laptop has a glossy screen. The thing is (and with very very few exceptions) most laptops have a mere coating on them to create a glossy surface, which although it tries to replicate glass, is not as smooth and is merely a film, so it will deflect a little bit better than a single piece of real solid glass. So yeah, no doubt in my mind that a MAC will pick up more reflections than any other laptop out there.

But...I must say though, of all the laptop screens I have seen, nothing compares to the brightness or clarity of a mac screen. Unless you use your laptop in a cave, you will have some sort or reflection no matter what. And the screen on my mac gets bright enough to drown out reflections, and I don't mean just "bright", I mean "painfully bright", like if left on auto you will find yourself wincing while looking for the darken screen key. No other laptop I looked at came remotely close to that. And even at the "Deer in Headlight" setting, the colors looked great. I have used my MAC in a variety of lighting situations and so far have never been upset or frustrated by the glossy screen.

FYI, this is coming from a lifelong PC user (until about 3 weeks ago), not a mac freak.

Glassy screen is nice. I like it.

The fourth option is kind of silly. Nobody is forcing you to buy anything.

You should be very wary of the results you're gonna get in this thread because the title of your post introduces a HUGE selection bias. You're title sounds like it is talking only to people who chose to buy a glossy screen and then what do they think of it. So you're almost only going to attract people who like the glossy screen or don't care either way. So you're virtually eliminating everyone who didn't choose to get a glossy screen.

p.s. I cannot stand glossy screens. I REALLY dislike glossy screens.